WARNING: A new "HD version" of this game has been announced. It will be an entirely separate game and include all DLC content. Most importantly, this "old" version (released May, 2014) WILL NOT update to the new version, which will be sold separately.

Exclusive to the new version are re-mastered encounters, additional multiplayer slots, new invasion NPC with new items, improved enemy AI, and graphical updates not available in this "old" version of the game. Furthermore, the two versions of the game will not be compatible with each-other for online play, nor will saves be transferable between games.

A recent patch to prepare for the new re-release added changes to soul memory, a couple new items, and other tweaks to the "old" version of the game. The patch does not and will not contain the exclusive enhancements of the new version. If you want the exclusive content listed above, you will need to purchase the new version of the game.

Therefore, it is my recommendation you avoid purchasing this "old" version for PC, as the new version will arrive April 7, 2015. I also strongly encourage you to scrutinize the business practices exercised by the developer and publisher of this game; we are being sold the same game again with minor, though desirable improvements.

SOURCES: The community has requested I add links to the sources of compiled information.

But, if you buy this game now, you are only buying it to play a less complete version of the game four months early. In four months this game is going to receive a rerelease on PC that is differentiated as the "DX11" version. This version will match the next-gen console rerelease and will have new features that are introduced with those versions.

Please wait. Your time (and money) is better spent building memories with a polished version of this game. Rather than a version that reeks of being thrown out the door in time for the end of the previous console generation.

Now let me just say that i bought both and pre ordered the collector's edition and season pass and i honeslty think this is the best game of the year. Since day 1 I've poured 100's of hours into this i have such a blast playing this game that no other game compares and if it werent for the current situation i would tell everyone to go buy this game now.

But heres the thing yesterday, they came out a trailer for Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin which at first glance seems like a game of the year edition of the game. but unlike other GOTY games it dosent just include the game and all of the dlcs it includes content thats EXCLUSIVE to this new version of the game.

the rundown is this :Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin will include the three previously released DLC packs - Crown of the Sunken King, Crown of the Old Iron King, and Crown of the ivory King - along with additional features.All versions of the game will include the following features (Existing Dark Souls II owners will receive a patch to implement these elements):Additional NPCs added for an enhanced story experience. Parameter adjustments for improved game balance. Augmented item descriptions. Improved online matchmaking functionality.Xbox One, PS4, and DirectX 11 versions of the game will include the following features (in addition to those listed above):Additional upgrades to graphics, sound, performance. Increase in maximum online players in single session (6 total).

the other thing thats not mentioned here is that dx9 and dx11 versions will be on SEPARATE SERVERS on pc which means people who own one version wont be able to play with the other. Ultimately splitting the community.

Now heres the question thats comes to mind, what will come of the current owners of the game? the people who supported your game day 1 are you going to honeslty make those people who bought your game and season pass buy it ALL over again? is this a joke? even if they offer some sort of discount its still extremely scumy regardless of how you look at it. The game is not even a year old let alone how long the dlcs came out. Talking about how the PC is thier lead development yet they downgraded the PC version because of the ps3 and xbox 360 versions of the game then making people pay more because of them making it on ps4 and xbox one when they should have had dx11 on release for free on PC.

If you see this game on sale dont buy it you are getting a gimped version. i would go as far as saying dont get Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin too if it goes down the way its looking now. Why? because you are supporting something evil for the future of gaming. I love this game and i honeslty think its one of the best games i played in years but really its not worth it enough to give in into something thats such ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. No game ever is. save your money don't give in.

also if they offer the new content for free i will change this into a positive review and why i think its a very good game even if it has its flaws but untill then i will keep it the way it is now.

From Software has announced a new "HD" edition for 2015, but most of it's features and all patch support will be moved over to the "next-gen" DX11. The two versions are not character compatible; people playing on the current DX9 version will not be able to play with those on DX11 and any characters created on DX9 (the current version) cannot be transfered to DX11. There is a fair $20 discount for people who already own this version of the game or a $30 discount if you own the DLC too.

For those who have yet to buy Dark Souls II, don't bother buying this as Scholar of the First Sin will be out in April and feature continued patch support, new content, improved multiplayer, and even more DLC.

Don't buy this game. Namco has decided that they are going to release an upgraded version of this game that runs on DX11 in April next year with visuals that were advertised for the first version but were cut out, while everyone who has this version will be stuck with DX9. These versions will use different servers, and the new version will include the DLC for free. Everyone who has already bought this version of the game has officially been screwed over, and if you bought the DLC you are even more screwed over.

Apparently an "HD" version of this game is getting released soon. Looks to be what Dark Souls 2 was meant to be initially, yet was downscaled for consoles. Namco Bandai want to charge FULL ♥♥♥♥ING PRICE for it too, regardless of whether or not you already own a copy of DS2.

From originally said there would NOT be DLC's.From released the pc version graphically "capped" due to console limitations, while removing stuff they already showed and should have been in the pc version.

Now they're about to split the community and make us pay full price AGAIN for the same fuc*ing game we already got, finished ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥s of times, spent AGES on and telling us "yeah let's just give us the full money again and start over 'aight?'.

If they don't make up their mind I will uninstall and won't play this ish again, when CDProjekt released The Witcher 2 enhanced they gave everything FOR FREE for those who purchased the game already.

From software suc*s from now on for me, just screw them and their ish seriously.I know gamers are kids most of the time and still want the toy but it's time to boycott these idiots, just DON'T BUY THIS GAME!

If I knew I wouldn't either, I feel so bad for giving my money to them now...this stuff should be illegal seriously.

Spent an hour making a decent looking character, then played for 10 minutes and died. I now play as a fabulous looking zombie

EDIT: WTF this is helpful?

Now I feel obligated to actually write about it.

In short, its third person hacky slashy ouchy dodgy game, it’s unforgiving, but the difficulty curve is much easier than Dark Souls 1. While I do believe it took a few steps backwards from the previous game, it still is head and shoulders above most games.

For the Newcomers:

Welcome! The franchise is a very humbling experience for the newcomers; very quickly you'll learn that your top priority is keeping yourself alive. While this is common in video games as a whole, it’s especially true here. Everything in the game can kill you in a matter of seconds, and your health/life is a precious resource. Whenever you die, you drop all your currently held souls at your place of death, but also lose a bit of your maximum health bar, all the way down to half. There are ways to mitigate this of course, but it is always in your best interest to be safe.

All that being said, the game does reward exploration, and the world is very densely designed with plenty to be found. Be sure to take a good look around the skyboxes whenever you change areas, as you'll usually be able to see places you'll eventually go or have been before. This all helps the game build a great sense of atmosphere.

The combat is some of the most satisfying of any game I've played. Remember how a few sentences ago I was saying how enemies can kill you easily? Most of them are animated to look like it. Everything in the game feels powerful, the swings and sound with the moves give things a great sense of weight and power. Souls Games use a lock on system, where, with the push of a button, the camera will focus on a specific enemy, and your character will face them. This means your movements are relative to it, and while you have to fight multiple enemies at a time, the system is at home in 1v1-3 fights. With larger fights, it can spiral out of control and enemies can stun lock you to death if you miss your escape. The camera controls aren't perfect, and with some bosses, it’s easier to fight them without the being locked on, but they function fine for the most part.

For the Souls Franchise Veterans

Multiple design choices feel like a step backwards, the limited enemy respawns, many boss fights being large humanoids in armor, and lacking the world that Dark Souls 1 had. What I mean is that Dark Souls 1 had a world that was essentially continuous, when the map files are put together, everything is mostly to scale, with distances, like being able to see several late game areas from the first bonfire. Here, the world feels a bit less so, some blatant ones like the distance between Majula and The Tower of Flame are out of scale, but none as bad as the transition to Iron Keep. These can be forgiven though.

Something that I won't forgive nearly as easily is the boss design. While some are well done, Many of the later bosses, are multiple enemies or a boss with a few smaller helpers. This gets incredibly frustrating if you're playing solo, thankfully, there are npc summons for a few, but for some of these fights, the only challenge is patience as you run around looking for an opening between boring bosses.

Another thing of note is that the atmosphere feels much less dark than the previous game, and that NPCs will not leave Majula. One of the things I realize that I loved was the NPCs of the previous games had a lot more emphasis on the Character part of the acronym. While people would come and hang out at Firelink, they would eventually leave, and usually encountered later. It gave the sense that they had goals of their own, and by the end of the game, it’s empty and lonely, as you are the last one there. The Majula NPCs seem much more NPCs in a MMO sense, they're here to serve the player, and once they reach Majula, they won't evolve further. It comes to a head in one instance where a father and daughter are less than 10 meters from each other, but don't ever reunite. It doesn't so much build or develop their characters as it does make you want to drag one to the other. (Emit Force won't work).

In my opinion, especially so as a fan of the multiplayer (Sunbro by day, Bellfag by night), the most jarring change is soul memory (hereafter noted as SM). The SM system determines multiplayer matchmaking on a tier system, counting every soul that your current character has collected, ever. This means that there isn’t much incentive to stay at soul level range for PVP, and can make trying to connect with friends, especially those that have been replaying an area they've been having trouble with, a bit of a hassle.

None of these are really deal-breakers though, and more than anything who off how well designed the first game was.

We do get legal respecing though, finally.

A Final Note on Hardware

Something to note here is that the game was coded to be run in 30 frames/second. This means that with a PC running it faster, the change can be a bit drastic. While the game does look better, there are issues with some enemies being significantly faster, and some even able to land attacks as soon as their animation starts. There are also a few issues with hit detection/tracking of some bosses. But the most significant problems that arise are weapon durability and dodging. The game gives you a set amount of frames during your roll animation that you are invulnerable during, also known as iframes. With double the framerate and no compensation means that you're only invulnerable for half the time as on a console. This is annoying, but not too big an issue as most rolls are for spacing, but can be annoying. The other issue is weapon durability. Equipment in the game degrades with use, but is refreshed upon resting at a bonfire. With weapons, they take durability damage whenever they're used. If they hit a wall or the ground, they take a small flat amount, the same as with console versions. Against enemies though, they take damage based on the number of frames that they’re in the body, more so if the enemy is already dead. This isn't too bad for most areas, unless using a fragile weapon, but there are longer areas that you’d want a backup to fall back on.

As for controls, the Mouse and Keyboard controls aren't great, though a big step up from Dark Souls 1. I'm currently playing without a controller, but I would recommend trying one with it, it makes the attack input a bit more precise than the defaults, and was clearly made with a controller in mind.

If you have any questions, just leave it it in the comments below and I'll get to you as soon as I can.

Great game. Unforunately, Bamco has decided to release the upcoming HD patch as a full-priced release very soon. There is literally zero reason to buy this game now. Unless you're okay with paying full price again for a patch a few months down the line, do not buy this game. Wait for the updated version and buy that instead.